On April 15th at 2 p.m., St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Libertytown will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic at the first American monument dedicated to those who perished the night of April 15, 1912.
The monument, a 12-foot high cross resting on a heavy base of brown stone includes a life size figure of Christ nailed to the cross, as well as Jesus’ mother, Mary and the Apostle John.
According to a May 20, 1912 article in the Baltimore Sun, “It is the first memorial in the United States to the memory of the unfortunate victims of the recent disaster at sea.”
The monument is located in the cemetery at St. Peter’s and is accompanied by a plaque which reads: “Erected by the members of St. Peter’s Church in memory of the Titanic’s dead. Blessed by Rev. Francis Klauder C.Ss.R. and Rev. Samuel J. Kavanaugh April 19, 1912.”